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NEWSLETTER
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013
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New Look, Same Old Newsletter
I've reformatted the Newsletter to match my website. Please let me know what you think of its readability. For those of you new to the publication, clicking on an underlined link will take you directly to the webpage mentioned in the article.
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The phone scams are getting worse and you and your computer are at risk. This month I've heard from clients who've been called by Microsoft (855-677-556, and no, that's not Microsoft's number) to tell them that their copy of windows was about to expire. The scammer's proposed a solution; go to a particular website, the URL (web address) changes all the time, but it's all the same, to fix the problem. Once you're at the site, you're hooked. The Website contains active software that now allows the scammer to connect and control your computer. Once the scammer is in, the demand for money begins and you need me to untangle the mess.
Even if you pay these people what they demand, they don't un-install the hooks into your machine. In a few months or perhaps as little as a few weeks you will see more malware appear spontaneously on your screen followed by demands for more of your money..... And so on, and so on, and so on. BTW, The people perpetrating the "FBI Virus" have upped their payment demand to $495.
The bottom line is that neither Microsoft nor any branch of the Federal, State or Local Government, not any other organization can see into your computer (Not even the NSA!). Hang up on these people and don't give it another thought.
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More!
 One of my client's, having difficulty with his HP printer, Googled, "HP printer help" and wound up at one of these 800 numbers (specifically 877-509-8360).
Here's a portion of the email I received from him:
"My HP printer has been printing some black ink lines faintly. Only black, not color. I fiddled with the black cartridge without any improvement. So today I tried an HP help number and got someone in New Delhi. I allowed him to take over my computer and he had the printer do a test page and scan it to him. He went through a series of inspections and said it was the Windows 7 that was corrupted, and that was causing the printer problem. He showed me that many of the Microsoft programs were running but many not running and that many files showed that they were corrupted. He showed me that csrss.exe was in the computer and that it was a trojan and that he could cure my computer and get the Microsoft programs to be running and clean the corrupted files. He said it would cost $399.99 and the computer would run faster (it has been slow for some months) and I would have free backup for two years."
The client, to his credit, goes on to say: "I said I would think about it. I said a new printer would be cheaper but he said it wouldn't work any better. My Epson printer, which I use primarily for photos works fine for that and for print."
Lie, upon lie, upon lie! None of the claims made by the technician were true. In fact Csrss.exe is an integral part of Windows 7. I needed to undertake remote support to remove the software these people had installed, I assume to further their nefarious activities.
In any situation where you need to obtain technical support from a product manufacturer, you need to go directly to that manufactures website. HP.com, Dell.com, Samsung.com, etc. As apparently you will be directed otherwise by companies like these that have managed to put themselves at or near the top of a Google search list. This has to do with SEO (Search Engine Optimization) techniques, which of course is a another conversation.
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Keeping your Internet Searches Private
Look for a printer, a camera or a fridge on the web and the next time you ask for any webpage you're more than likely to see an advertisement for that particular product. Notorious for this line of play is Microsoft's Hotmail interface. I purchased an HP printer for one of you, my clients, and my Hotmail email page has a slew of vendors selling HP Printers. The next time I looked at the NY Times home page, HP was there again.
I'm sure it's no surprise to any of us that it's all about the cookies. Each time you make any type of inquiry on the net a small amount of information about your quest is stored on your computer. The information contains (purportedly) no personal data. Other websites can use this cookie to further market you. Cookies have an expiration date but some cookies expire years in the future. Most major websites do track their visitors' behavior and then sell or provide that information to other companies (like advertisers).
You can clear your cookies on some sort of regular basis, daily if you like, but more and more websites that allow you to obtain personal and financial information are also using cookies to validate that it's really you wanting to access your information; they do this by seeing that you've gained access legitimately on this same computer once before. Eliminate your cookies and you'll have to go through some re-validation, perhaps in the form of a phone call or a text message. Some browsers (Firefox) let you clear cookies selectively but it's a pain to do. I personally stopped caring; go right ahead and track away!
If you want some time to shop or browse the internet without being watched or tracked try private browsing. Private Browsing allows you to browse the Internet without saving any information about which sites and pages you've visited. Private Browsing doesn't make you anonymous on the Internet. Your Internet service provider, employer, or the sites themselves can still track which pages you visit, but you do get complete anonymity from those pesky marketers and everyone else, as no trace of where you've been is stored on your computer.
Private browsing stops the collection of cookies of course, but also web pages, passwords and form entry auto completes as well. The major browsers have a Do-not-track feature as well that lets you tell websites you don't want your browsing behavior tracked. But abidance to this "Do Not Track" request is voluntary.
Here's links to turning on private browsing and Do Not Track in the popular browsers:
Internet Explorer Private Browsing
Internet Explorer (10) Do Not Track Me
Firefox Private Browsing
Firefox Do Not Track Me
Chrome Private Browsing
Chrome Do Not Track Me
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Word Documents Save information about you
 Word documents may contain information of a personal nature. Microsoft hides information including the author's name, revision logs, edit dates and a slew of information about the document that you might not wish to share with the recipient. This information is referred to as "metadata". Metadata is also stored in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint files. Clearly, if you're emailing a copy for the recipient to read, it's best to send it as a PDF, try PDF Escape to convert a word document to a PDF or Cute PDF to download a converter. A PDF contains no hidden information.
If you need to send the word document itself, you can still eliminate the metadata. Word 2007 and later editions have a built in "document scrubbing" function and here's the How To:
if your copy of word predates 2007 try this free Document Scrubber that effectively does the same thing.
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The (Near) Future Demise of Cable/FIOS/Dish TV
 Did you miss the recent little tiff between TIme Warner Cable and the CBS family of stations? Say goodbye to Cable/FIOS/Dish TV. It's no secret that you can watch pretty much anything today on your computer. Major networks stream their current series hits though their websites. Hulu has a selection of free and low cost offerings. There's even Share TV and a slew of stuff on YouTube. Netflix at less than $8 a month, substantially less than any of these services, are more than an abundant source of programming choices. This proliferation is only going to continue with a variety of show providers offering their products directly on the net, advertising included.
There are also a variety of products on the market like Slingbox that let you transmit TV shows across the internet from someone who has a cable/FIOS/Dish subscription to someone who does not. I have a client in West Islip New York, who transmits, transparently, shows to his daughter in Greece. SlingBox, BTW, is a onetime purchase for a lifetime of viewing.
Up until now, if you wanted to watch any of these offerings on the big screen, you needed to connect a VGA cable from a computer VGA output (normally a laptop) to the VGA input you'd find on most modern flat screen TVs. (Netflix and now Hulu can pipe through a network connected Blu-Ray player). Enter Google Chromecast.
I've just ordered Google Chromecast at Amazon for $35. Chromecast will allow me to transmit video from any computer in my home to any HDMI (most flat screen) equipped TV and it's easy to use. Read more here.
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 Windows 8.1, codenamed "Blue," is introducing a number of changes designed to make the new operating system more palatable to current Windows users. Windows 8.1 is adding (back) a Start Button and a boot-straight-to-desktop option. (Hurray!)
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Quick Links
Wondering how to do something in particular, Anything?
Try Wonder How To
Have you been following the reports iterating the disparity between what one hospital charges for a procedure versus another? You'll find this site particularly interesting especially if you're paying for your own health care maintenance.
Health Care Blue Book
How's the speed your internet provider is giving you? Does it meet their advertised download and upload numbers? Try this Test from an independent source.
Speed Test
Find My Friends sends out a request to your contacts' phones each time you want to know where they are. If they accept, you'll see them on a map. Great for a group picnic or a trip to the Zoo with the family. (Free, iOS and Android) For IOS / Android
Search flights based on details like the age of the plane, Wi-Fi availability, legroom, and inflight entertainment options.
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Cell Phone Alert
Smartphone troubles: Malware hijacks mobile ad networks to siphon money: Read About it!
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Did you know that I make DVD, BluRay and Roku connections.
I also do homelink.
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